The US and NATO have made it clear they don't want to send troops to Ukraine. If Putin uses a weapon of mass destruction, it could pull the alliance into a war it has been desperate to avoid.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has underscored that the alliance does not want to send in troops, as President Joe Biden has repeatedly said, at one point warning a direct confrontation would be World War III.
The war is not going well for Russia. There are growing concerns that Putin will use a chemical or nuclear weapon in order to break the stalemate his forces are in. That may force NATO to participate.
Putin shows no sign of backing down. The Ukrainians are fighting back with courage and determination, and as long as the war continues, the use of nuclear weapons will be a real possibility.
Ivo Daalder, the former US Ambassador to NATO, told Insider that the US and NATO should help the Ukrainians.
Biden warned that the US and NATO would respond if Putin used a chemical weapon. Any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict.
Russia has been isolated economically and politically as a result of the war. NATO estimates that the Russian military has seen up to 40,000 casualties in just a month. If Putin feels that using a weapon of mass destruction will help Russia, he could feel pressured to do something drastic.
Putin has made nuclear threats. The leader of Russia ordered his nuclear forces to be on high alert. The use of nuclear weapons was not ruled out in a recent interview by the Kremlin spokesman.
Nuclear war is back within the realm of possibility because of Putin, according to the UN Secretary-General.
With Russia engaging in what Stoltenberg has decried as "nuclear sabre-rattling," congressional lawmakers are discussing how the US should respond in the event that nuclear or chemical weapons are used. Russia has been warned by the US that an attack on NATO would lead to a military response.
If Russia uses a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, it should be considered an attack on the NATO alliance and triggered a military response, according to some members of Congress. NATO operates under the principle of collective defense, considering an attack on one an attack on all.
Jack Reed of Rhode Island, chairman of the Senate armed services committee, told reporters earlier this week that if a nuclear device is detonated and the radiation goes into a neighboring country, it could be seen as an attack against NATO. Reed said that this could be true regarding some chemical, biological attacks.
The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee told NBC News that if Russia used a nuclear or chemical weapon it would prompt NATO to retaliate.
According to Daalder, the NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 is an example of how force is not needed. NATO does not need to wait for a chemical or radioactive cloud to cross over into Poland or another member country to respond, he said.
Daalder told Insider that if Russia uses a weapon of mass destruction, we should use force.
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